A European study of students using online social networking shows that users tend to make new connections via their own more attractive friends regardless of whether they are male or female. Writing in the International Journal of Web Based Communities, Christina Jaschinski and Piet Kommers of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, explain how they have carried out a preliminary study to try and understand better how relationships develop online. "Social network sites have become essential for managing relationships in today's life," they explain. "Therefore, it is increasingly important for scientists to understand how impressions are formed and connections develop in the virtual world."